"Can you sit and marvel with me at our Father’s goodness? Not just in monetary provision but in His faithfulness to His children."

From the first cup of coffee in the food tent to the last dish of chocolate ice cream, the first Saturday of August is always a day of joy, laughter, community, generosity, and the Lord’s constant faithfulness.

It was after lunch on the Friday of Auction Week at Gateway Woods, and all the auction items had been moved from the school gym and into the tents. The finishing touches were being completed on the various vendor stalls and in the food tent. There was a palpable sense of calm and order on Gateway’s campus. The week leading up to this had been smooth, too, with no significant hiccups while organizing the items. The committee was ahead of schedule, getting everything lined up. The weather was even fantastic with mid-seventies and a gentle breeze! The whole week, up to this point, felt like a well-oiled machine. A few Auction Committee members looked around and marveled at how well everything seemed to be going. Someone in the group said what we were all thinking: “I wonder what's going to go wrong.”

In their defense, a lot could go wrong. It just can with over 400 volunteers, 1500 donated items, about 100 cyclists traveling 200-230 miles, and nearly 2000 visitors descending on campus for one day. But we all tend to do this at some point, don’t we? When things start to go well, we wonder when it will start going downhill. When we do that, we begin to take our heart’s focus off God, our Provider. Our trust in His goodness slips a bit when we start to focus on future what-ifs instead of resting in the present goodness He’s given us. 

We serve a good, good Father, and every day He gives us beautiful gifts, whether we pause to acknowledge them or not. Because of those good gifts, we shouldn’t want to move on too quickly from marveling at the goodness that God has gifted to us. For this auction year, it was gorgeous weather, safety for all the travelers - whether on a bike or in a car, a beautiful reunion of brothers and sisters in Christ, and generous hearts showing up willing to serve and give. When the sun set on August 2, 2025, Gateway Woods was blessed with the provision of $1,005,000. 

Can you sit and marvel with me at our Father’s goodness? Not just in monetary provision but in His faithfulness to His children. Sure, a lot of things could go wrong, and maybe a few things did that we weren’t aware of, but that doesn’t make our God any less amazing or any less capable of showing up and providing.

Saturday night, as my feet were propped up, recovering from a long auction-prep week, I reflected on God’s faithfulness over the past few months and all the preparation for this auction. The verse from Isaiah 40:28 came to my mind. It was God’s gentle reminder that, even when our gaze slips and we start to concern ourselves with the what-ifs and unknowns, He calls us back to remembrance.

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.”

May we not forget that our God, the Creator and Lord, is forever faithful, never tires, and knows how to provide for us beyond what we can comprehend. Thank you to all who prayed, donated their time, talents, or treasure, and joined us for the 49th Annual Gateway Woods Auction. Our God is still providing, still sustaining, and always worthy of our praise.